1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus in which recording media are interchangeable, and more particularly, to a recording apparatus which performs such a control operation as the writing and erasure of data to and from a recording medium.
2. Description of Related Art
In these days, there are a great number of types of data recording media which are adapted for attachment to personal computers, digital cameras, digital camcorders, etc. Among the data recording media, there exist the ones which resemble each other in shape although different from each other only in thickness.
Accordingly, there is a possibility that a recording medium which is essentially not designed to be attached to a particular apparatus body happens to be attached to the particular apparatus body. In that case, it is probable that the recording medium as attached or data recorded in the recording medium can not be correctly recognized or the data is erroneously erased or destroyed.
In order to prevent such a situation, in most apparatuses, such measures are taken that the size or shape of an insertion slot of the apparatus body is devised to disable the attachment of a different type of card, or the type of a card is detected by a detection mechanism or a communication means to prevent data from being written in or erased from a different kind of card.
However, different kinds of cards which resemble each other in shape and differ from each other in thickness have been put to practical use. A large difference between the two cards resides in that the one card (hereinafter referred to as a type-A card) is provided with an erroneous-erasure prevention lug at an exterior thereof, as shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), and the other card (hereinafter referred to as a type-B card) is provided with no erroneous-erasure prevention lug, as shown in FIG. 6(c).
In FIGS. 6(a) to 6(c), reference numeral 100 denotes a card body, and reference numeral 101 denotes an erroneous-erasure prevention lug. Further, FIG. 6(a) shows an erroneous-erasure prevention canceled state in which the prevention of erasure of data is canceled, FIG. 6(b) shows an erroneous-erasure prevention state in which the erasure of data is prevented, with the erroneous-erasure prevention lug 101 slidden in the direction of an arrow WP, and FIG. 6(c) shows a state in which the position corresponding to the erroneous-erasure prevention lug 101 of the type-A card is covered by an exterior.
Now, since the above-mentioned two types of cards resemble each other in shape, an apparatus body adapted to allow the type-A card to be attached thereto is made also to allow the type-B card to be attached thereto. Therefore, for example, in a case where the apparatus body has an erroneous-erasure prevention lug detecting means which determines the erroneous-erasure prevention state when having detected that the erroneous-erasure prevention lug 101 is located at a position obtained after the sliding thereof, if the type-B card, which has no erroneous-erasure prevention lug mechanism, is attached to the apparatus body, the type-B card is always determined to be in the erroneous-erasure prevention state. Therefore, the writing or erasure of data in or from the type-B card becomes disabled at all.
On the other hand, in a case where the apparatus body has another erroneous-erasure prevention lug detecting means which determines the erroneous-erasure prevention canceled state when having detected that the erroneous-erasure prevention lug 101 is located at a position obtained before the sliding thereof, the type-B card is always determined to be in the erroneous-erasure prevention canceled state. Therefore, in the case of a card having no erroneous-erasure prevention lug mechanism, data recorded in the card, which ought not to be erased, may be erased.
In addition, in a case where the type-B card has an erroneous-erasure prevention mechanism in a method different from that of the type-A card, for example, in a case where the type-B card has the erroneous-erasure prevention mechanism in such a method that the erroneous-erasure prevention state is memorized in a register disposed inside the card, in setting or canceling the erroneous-erasure prevention state, the operator sets or cancels the erroneous-erasure prevention state by rewriting the content of the register by some operation on the apparatus body with the card inserted into the apparatus body.
In a case where, as mentioned above, the apparatus body allows either of the type-A card and the type-B card to be attached thereto, it is necessary for the operator to set the erroneous-erasure prevention state in the respective different methods.
Therefore, with the card attached to the apparatus body, when the apparatus body rejects the writing or erasure of the content of the card, the operator sometimes has difficulty in knowing what is the cause that the writing or erasure is impossible.
Under such a background, it is an object of the invention to provide a recording apparatus capable of appropriately controlling the erroneous-erasure prevention state and the erroneous-erasure prevention canceled state without requiring the operator to perform any troublesome operation.
Further, it is another object of the invention to provide a recording apparatus capable of definitely indicating the reason for the erroneous-erasure prevention state being set, when the operator judges the presence or absence of the setting of the erroneous-erasure prevention state by means of a plurality of detection methods, thereby preventing the operator""s mistake.
To attain the above objects, in accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided a recording apparatus to and from which each of a plurality of recording media is attachable and detachable, the recording apparatus comprising detection means for detecting a state of an exterior of the recording medium, and recording means for performing recording of data in the recording medium, wherein the recording means has a first mode of performing recording of data in the recording medium on the basis of a result of detection obtained by the detection means, and a second mode of performing recording of data in the recording medium without using a result of detection obtained by the detection means.
The above and further objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.